Various vehicle mounted water pump assemblies have been proposed for pumping out water filled depressions in the ground. Such depressions can include work sites, ditches, excavations, and the like that must be cleared of water before work on a construction project can continue. However, such depressions also typically include sand traps or bunkers on a golf course that may become filled with water from a heavy rain. It is desirable to pump out such sand traps or bunkers, rather than wait for them to drain or dry naturally, in order to return the golf course to a playable condition as soon as possible.
US Patent Publication 2008/0166244 to Winge depicts one such water pump assembly. Winge discloses using a directional nozzle coupled to the water pump to be able to direct where the water stream being pumped by the nozzle lands. However, Winge discloses using an oscillating, impact type sprinkler as the nozzle and thus provides a relatively complicated and more expensive solution to the problem of directional control of the nozzle. It would be an advance in the art to provide a way of easily and quickly adjusting the trajectory of the water stream being thrown using a simple, durable and inexpensive adjustment mechanism for the nozzle
In addition, Winge mounts the water pump to the vehicle in a manner in which the water pump is basically exposed to impacts should the vehicle be backed up or driven forwardly and the water pump were to strike an obstacle. It would be extremely easy to damage the water pump in Winge if the operator of the vehicle were not careful when trying to position the water pump using the motion of the vehicle. Damaging the water pump means the water pump has to be repaired or replaced. This is obviously both expensive and time consuming.
Finally, the water being pumped out of a sand trap or bunker will often be heavily laden with suspended particles of sand or grit. This is particularly as true the water level lowers and the inlet to the pump approaches the bottom of the sand trap or bunker. Pumping this water through an oscillating impact type sprinkler is not desirable as the sand or grit may quickly contaminate and foul the operation of the sprinkler. This again will require that the sprinkler be repaired or replaced.
Accordingly, a water pump assembly in which the water pump is well protected against damage from impacts and in which the operation of the nozzle is not sensitive to the presence of sand or grit in the water stream would be a further advance in the art.